The competition was fierce — each classroom wanted to help out less fortunate families throughout the community.
Students at Whiteland Elementary School had been charged with bringing in as many non-perishable food items as they could. Basket by basket, the cans of soup, beans, kernel corn and green beans grew. Boxes of pasta and packages of ramen noodles piled up.
School officials had set a goal of 1,500 items to collect for the annual Good Cheer Fund. In the end, Whiteland Elementary ended up bringing in more than 2,300 canned and non-perishable food.
“The competition side is fun, but what we’re doing is giving back to our community,” said Karmin Koelmel, a counselor at Whiteland Elementary School. “It’s keeping that message that we’re all in need, and when we’re in need, we have to help each other out.”
Over the coming weeks, schools all over the county will bring in tens of thousands of items to feed the hungry. They’ll take part in contests pitting classroom against classroom in altruistic competition.
“The cans they collect will feed families in their school district. They are truly helping their neighbors,” said Jacob Sappenfield, chairman of the Good Cheer Fund.
‘Their success is critical’
The Good Cheer Fund is an annual food giveaway that helps needy families throughout the county. Baskets are filled with fresh food, such as ham, eggs, milk and bread, to provide families with meals around Christmas.
But a majority of items included in the deliveries will be non-perishable soups, fruit, vegetables and meal mixes that students themselves bring in.
Schools are typically responsible for more than 35,000 canned food goods each year.
Without the schools helping out, the Good Cheer Fund would not be nearly as successful as it is, Sappenfield said.
“Its amazing to watch how much fun the schools have with the collection of canned goods. Their success is critical for the Good Cheer Fund as the cans they collect go directly into the 900 baskets that we will disburse to Johnson County families,” he said.
With schools playing such an important role, organizers in grades and districts across the county have envisioned games, competitions and prizes to motivate their students.
Needham Elementary School, which has been collecting for the Good Cheer Fund for the past seven years, offers the class that donates the most food a popcorn and movie party, said Crystal May, school counselor.
“A little competition goes a long way,” she said.
School leaders got involved because the Good Cheer Fund helps students and families in the Needham community, as well as people all over the county. Understanding a little more about poverty and the struggles of others is a humbling, unique experience, May said.
Starting in November and extending into mid-December, students will bring in food items representing their classes. Members of a group of fourth graders known as the Happy Helpers gather two or three times each week to tally the donations.
A chart tracks each class’ progress, while winners are announced on the morning announcements, May said.
The motivation has helped. Last year, Needham donated 3,051 cans. Seeing such generosity is exciting as a counselor, May said.
“One of the best parts about being in the education world is giving children opportunities to grow as a whole person, not just academically,” she said. “Needham students make a difference in my world everyday and I know these experiences make a difference in theirs.”
A new approach
Whiteland Elementary has been involved with the Good Cheer Fund for a number of years. Since the food distribution provides food for some students at the school, it was important for school leaders to help contribute to it, Koelmel said.
But last year, they opted to take a different approach to collecting canned food. The school grades are broken into teams, where different classes earn rewards for making good choices — playing off of its “Warrior Way” concept of being respectful, being responsible and being safe.
“We took the approach that collecting canned goods for those in need is respectful and responsible. We’re doing our part to help those in need, because we’re all in need in different ways in our lives,” Koelmel said. “So we added that to our challenges to them.”
Each grade at Whiteland Elementary shares a color, and each class has a unique flag in that color. For the canned food collection, Whiteland Elementary their classes into different teams represented by mascots, working to earn a badge for their class flag: a replica of a Good Cheer basket.
“They’re very competitive about that, very proud of their badges,” Koelmel said.
The winning students could also win a hot chocolate party.
Every day, classes would turn in the amount of food that had been collected. Those totals were updated on screens in the school cafeteria, allowing the whole school to see how the collection was going.
The initial goal of 1,500 cans had been set, and if the students achieved that, they’d receive a school-wide pajama party. In the end, they ended up with 2,390 canned or non-perishable food items.
“It’s truly the Warrior Way competition that upped our numbers a ton last year, because they take a lot of pride in their mascot teams and their flags,” Koelmel said. “The last day, someone came in with 200 cans to push their team to the top, because they really wanted their team to win.”
The competition was so successful, and the students had so much fun, that school officials are bringing it back again this year. While it’s expected to be an intense competition once again, what is truly meaningful about the results is the way the students have grasped the meaning behind it, Koelmel said.
“Every kid, from kindergarten to fifth grade, could tell you the reason behind why we were collecting canned goods, and that was the most important part,” she said. “It’s easy to get lost in the competition, but our kids could tell you that they’re doing it to be responsible and help people in need.”
